April focuses her practice on advising utility clients in complex regulatory proceedings and litigation before state utility commissions. She primarily represents regulated utilities before the Virginia State Corporation Commission. She assists clients with every aspect of the administrative proceedings including preparation for initial filings, discovery, and public hearings. April’s regulatory practice is complemented by a niche focus on cyber security and data privacy matters.
Before joining Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black (WRVB), April worked as an associate at an Am Law 100 firm, where she represented utilities in proceedings involving affiliate transactions, applications for transmission line certificates of public convenience and necessity, and demand-side management and energy efficiency programs. She also advised utility clients in emerging areas within the energy industry such as offshore wind and proposals for electric vehicle/bus programs.
April also has experience in counseling clients on retail supplier regulations, environmental regulatory compliance matters, and real estate issues pertaining to leases and titles/surveys. She also maintains an active pro bono practice and has represented clients in various family law matters including guardianship and conservatorship. In 2023, April was recognized by the Virginia Access to Justice Commission as a “Pro Bono Service Honor Roll” member for the 2021 – 2022 bar year.
Previously, April served as a law clerk to the Honorable Raymond A. Jackson of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
April obtained her Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law, where she completed the Family Law Certificate Program. She was also the recipient of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated’s Endowment Scholarship and the Olender Foundation’s Earl H. Davis Advocacy Award. While in law school, April served as a Senior Staff Editor for the Howard Human & Civil Rights Law Review, a student attorney in the Criminal Justice Clinic, and the Vice President of the Black Law Students Association.
Representative Matters
- Represented an electric utility in a proceeding to seek approval of the utility’s first offshore wind project, which also served as the largest offshore wind project proposed for approval in the United States.
- Represented an electric utility in a proceeding to seek approval of Virginia’s first battery energy storage system program.
- Advised and assisted a major utility with the development of a regulatory compliance model for the internal reorganization of the utility’s gas business units.
- Represented an electric utility in proceedings for approval involving energy efficiency and conservation programs.
- Assisted with representation of an electric utility in proceedings for approval of affiliate agreements.
- Counseled an electric utility in proceedings for approval of transmission line certificates of public convenience and necessity.
- Advised clients on compliance with and the implications of state and federal regulatory statute violations.
- Assisted clients with environmental regulatory compliance matters.
Speaking Engagements
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University of Richmond School of Law Black Law Student Association | Clerkship Panel: How to Land a Clerkship Opportunity
November 9, 2022
Recognition
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Four WRVB Attorneys Named to 2023 Pro Bono Honor Roll List
June 7, 2023 -
WRVB Welcomes April Jones to the Richmond Office
July 5, 2022